Galaxy · Spiral
IC 680
IC 680 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 582.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 582.5 million light-years (178.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 185,700 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.51 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.75 |
| Luminosity | 4.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 17m 54.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 56′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.75. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 582 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 10,332.9 billion years.